One Day
by papapapuffyAY
Summary: One day Ram will have to hand Rem over to the one she loves. Is today the day?


Disclaimer: not mine

Summary: One day Ram will have to hand Rem over to the one she loves. Is today the day?

**One Day**

The change in Rem was noticeable; it was especially noticeable by her twin. Her sky blue eyes brightened every time that newcomer walked into a room. How long has it been since he first showed up? Several months? Maybe it's already been a year or two? He showed up unexpectedly and threw everyone's life upside down. Honestly it felt like he was always here with them. Even the cold temper servant, who likes to maintain a distance from others, felt a certain type of tranquility and joy around him.

The days of an emotionless Rem were long gone. Her insecurities and inferiority complex were under control if not completely gone. She was happier; the soft humming while doing her work was proof. Her smiles were more often and they were directed towards everyone in the mansion.

A sudden wave of euphoria hit the older twin in the chest, as quickly as it hit it was over but the aftershocks still lingered. The peach haired maid immediately recognized it as the feelings of her younger sister. Rem must be close to the mansion now. Subaru and Rem left for the village earlier to restock on a few items.

Like normal Ram walked outside happy to greet her sister's safe return. The moment her cerise eyes landed on them she realized what made the horned girl so happy. With one bag in each of their arms their free hands were entwined together. Ram snorted to herself. A simple sign of affection like that made her overflow with joy and unconsciously send the extra cascade of emotions to Ram. How cute.

Even when it was obvious that the older twin was staring at their conjoined hands they didn't let go. "Welcome back Rem. Barusu."

"We're back, sister. We got everything on the list. Rem even picked up some appas to make some deserts with." Ram watched with a smile as the younger girl took the other bag and dashed off to the kitchen. Most likely she was going to prepare a new and tasty creation. She had a new idea for a while now. Something called a casserole by baking apples and potatoes. Ram didn't really comprehend it but it sounded good.

Once her sibling was out of sight she put on her normal stoic face. "Ready to get back to work Barusu? We have a lot to do."

"Actually I would like to talk to you first, about Rem." The oni felt her eye twitch at the serious tone in the human's words. She felt a groan seep out of her mouth and dreaded the direction this was going to head.

"Come, let's go on a walk. I don't want Rem to interfere then." With her hands politely folded in front of her she turned to walk heading towards the woods. Subaru furred his eyebrows but followed after the head maid. He wasn't sure why they were walking away from the mansion. It was a bit worrisome so he kept his guard up. Once deep in the woods Ram twirled around to face him. "Alright, Barusu let's talk. What did you want?"

"I love Rem."

The peach haired girl pursed her lips and closed her eyes. "Do you now? What about Emilia? Have you stopped chasing after her then? Ram won't let her sister become a second wife. She might be willing to step that low but I won't let her. Our race only takes one lover." It true no one in the village had a second husband or wife. She learned from the chief it was attempted once but since it didn't help the declining birth rate they didn't bother anymore.

"I do care for Emilia but my feelings for her are more suited to be familial. I still plan to help her get to the throne. The bond I have with Rem is notably much deeper. We've been through so much together we're already inseparable. She's the reason I can even help Emilia. My heart flutters so much around her; she's the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I don't need anyone else when Rem is beside me."

"I see... Can you take care of her? Provide for her?"

"Are you asking if I have some sort of dowry? You know I don't. All I have is undying loyalty. My love for her and my will to protect her." The demi human took another deep breath. And he would, she couldn't deny his words. The human had already proved his loyalties and protectiveness towards her. But she wanted more reassurance from him.

"Very well, Ram will accept your words." An ecstatic look spread over his face. Then he noticed the head maid reached under her skirt pulling out her cane strapped to her thigh. His smile weakened. "Now you must be able to prove your strength with actions. Fight me with the intent to take me out, Barusu!"

"What?!" Subaru jumped back and put his hands up defensibly. That was the last thing he expected from her. Sure he figured she may try to end his life for wanting to court Rem. Or at least he had prepared for a quick punch to the face without warning. This was on a whole new level.

"Fight me." She repeated with a glare pointing the wand at his head. "You're a threat to Ram right now."

"Wha-?! How?!"

"You wish to take Ram's cute little sister; the only family she has. Since you wish to take her away. Since you want to produce children with her someday. You must prove to me you can take care of Rem in my place. You speak attractive words but can you back them? Can you really protect her smile for the rest of her life? Prove to me you're strong enough to sire Ram's cute little nieces and nephews."

"...!"

"Defeat me, either in power or by out smarting me. It's the only way to get me to fully acknowledge you."

"Ram..."

"Fula!" The boy jumped to the side a powerful blade of wind flew in his direction cutting into the tree behind him. Wind mana gathered at the tip of her wand he stepped back nervously. "Barusu, you can't out run the wind!" Through up and personal experience with that wind he could tell you its blades were more impressive than most swords.

His brain started to run through his 'options.' Running away and waiting for Ram to run out of mana probably wasn't going to work. Ram was smart she would have thought of something to stop him in his tracks. Attempting close range combat was probably out of the question as well. She may lack real oni strength but she was still stronger than a normal human. The oni would dominate everything over him be it, magic, close quarter combat or even intelligent strategies. From the corner of his eyes he focused on the maid. Always know where your opponent is!

The sibling had lowered her cane making his legs stop moving. Maybe she just wanted to scare him? She didn't attack right away again. Her ruby eyes were closed but why? Her legs were spread far apart and her arms were bent with bawled fists. Her small chest was puffed out as she inhaled as much air as she could. The girl was positioned in a confident stance and power pose?

Time stood still for the cursed boy. Her eyes popped opened as she screamed. No, it wasn't a scream as much as it was a bestial snarl. Birds from the nearby trees fled in terror as her oni blood boiled. The sound of her voice pushed him back with a flinch. The hair on his arms stood up on end as if he could feel her fighter's aura. His fight or flight response failed as all he could do is freeze up. There was true blood lust in her eyes and it scared the cursed boy as much as it fascinated him. To make everything more serious a small trickle of blood trailed down the center of her forehead. The prodigy didn't seem bothered or even take notice of the red liquid that dripped down the contours of her face near her eye.

It was quick but the dark haired boy saw her bent slightly at the knees before disappearing from her spot. In a second she closed the distance between them appearing right in front of him. And Subaru knew what was coming next. At the last seconds her fist opened so her palm hit his gut instead of her knuckles. Was that really lessening the damage done to his body?

The butler gasped out in pain as he flew backwards with no control. Whatever hit his back was destroyed by the momentum till a finally thick tree was strong enough to stop him. Subaru grimaced in pain unable to move right away. He looked around knowing the slacker of a maid would be here soon. Fear was the only thing moving his body. Not that he could stop someone with that much power.

"I see you Barusu." The oni walked towards him wearing what could only be described as a cruel sadistic leer. In her hands was a tree that had fallen thanks to her last attack. She lifted and swung the tree that was triple her size in length and thickness far too easily. Her arms couldn't even wrap around the girth of the tree. With wide eyes the male servant fell to the side and curled up trying to be a small as possible while protecting his head. She really couldn't wield something like that here in such a limited space. He felt falling acorns hit his body but thankfully nothing to dangerous happened. "Barusu, if you don't attack Ram you'll never win. Are you fine with such an outcome?" The demi human dropped the tree to the side and brushed her hands clean from chipped pieces of trunk bark and sap.

Subaru really wanted to yell at her but managed to hold it in. "If you can't manage Ram, the hornless oni. How will you handle Rem?" He jumped up from his 'cover.' While running on instincts instead of logic he charged at her. With his fist bawled he swung a punch her way closing his eyes before it could land. It landed but he knew it didn't do anything to her. When nothing painful came back his way he dared to open his golden eyes. The maid blocked his punch with her palm. Well, of course she did. But if she didn't it would have landed right on her face. Nervously he looked passed their hands and into the oni's face. He expected rage but instead the sibling was smiling but it wasn't one like before. It was much softer.

"You didn't hesitate..." Ram murmured with a bit of emotion in her voice. It sounded a bit like praise actually. Why? Because he was willing to attack her for Rem? He thought back to her words. "But you really shouldn't aim for a woman's face." Subaru frowned as her tone and facial expression changed in a split second to a frown. The peach haired girl grabbed him by his clothes and tossed him up over her shoulder like a piece of balled up paper. She was playing with him.

He groaned in pain even though he landed rather softly in a bush. Maybe his best choice was to hide now. He took off running trying to hold his limping body together. Thankfully it seemed like she was giving him a bit of a head start. Mercy? The normally lazy girl was like a predator playing sadistically with their prey. The look of ecstasy on her face as she ignored her bleeding forehead really proved what type of race the oni were. They lost themselves to the joy of fighting. They were the world's strongest race for a reason.

"Rem's future male shouldn't be hiding like a coward!" She hissed viciously. "Fight for her!"

Her tongue swiped at the trail of her own blood as it dipped in the corner of her mouth and down her chin. The taste of iron and her will to live while in a battle to the death. The nostalgic prideful memory of her brethren. Then, for her to see this average human trying to hide. Instinct wise it upset her. It made her scar throb like her dead brethren were trying to communicate his lack of worth to her. To never accept someone like that. However, her logical side understood. There was no shame in running from a battle you had no chances of winning. Survival was more important than stupid pride. Hence her own aggravation in the situation.

"I'm in an unfair playing field! I don't even have a small weapon to defend myself with!" He shouted back. The prodigy clicked her tongue at his whiny voice.

"Use a fallen tree branch then!" The twin took off running after him with a growl. She was easily able to evade thick bushes and traps of the woods. Nothing slowed her down as she gracefully moved between trees and plants. "In fact here, Ram will give you a service." With her bare hand she sliced through a branch that size could be considered sword like. It was much thicker but the length seemed about right. With a bit of a magic touch the servant hurled it in his direction.

The man turned to judge the distance between them. With a blink of an eye something soared past him piecing the tree next to him. Nervously he pulled the gift out. It wasn't pretty but it was better than nothing. With a few practice swings he was able to get use to the unbalance weight. The girl approached.

His amber eyes hardened as she walked casually towards him. He widened his stance leaning forward ready to lunge forward. He posed with his makeshift sword like an anime character he once read about. Ram's eyebrow rose not recognizing the stance. Reading his stance the butler could only swing to the side or upwards. Whichever way he moved she could deal with it.

"I'm demonically possessed!" The minute she was within the 'blades' reach he moved. The older sister treated the branch as a real blade and moved backwards easily. With a burst of adrenaline he lunged forward keeping his body low. Red eyes widened as he entered into her personal space and wrapped his around her. With one arm wrapped around her waist and the other around her thighs his head rested against her hip. She didn't get any time to complain as she was lifted up over his shoulder and dropped behind him with a thud.

Breathing hard he turned around to assist the situation. Ram lied on her back looking up at him with a glare. "El fula!"

"Gah!" From beneath his feet an extreme blast of wind manifested flinging him into the sky. He tumbled around unable to discern up from down before it was too late.

The impact of crashing to the ground yet again robbed him of breath; he stopped moving other than the twitching of pain. The annoyed looking oni walked over to him. Seeing her prey down cleared her mind from the exhilaration of fighting. She didn't need to confirm the damage on him. She had the last laugh so to speak. Now she wanted to hear it from his mouth. "Ram has won. Will you concede with grace?"

"Yes, sweet mercy, please no more." Ram relinquished a small proud huff in her victory. With a huge grin she wobbled on her feet and fell face first to the ground. "Ram?!" Subaru shouted in concern as the girl didn't move.

"Ram is fine, be quiet."

"You know, I would be much more convinced of that if it didn't look like you were kissing the ground." While she still didn't move that fact she was still conscious calmed his heart a lot.

Amber eyes widened as a thought came to him. "You were that close to going down? I could've won if I just held out for about ten more seconds...?"

"You could have, sometimes you have to fake it to win it, but you didn't."

Subaru frowned, feeling tears of frustration burn at the back of his eyes. There was no way he would let them fall though. If he had the energy he could have hit the ground in frustration. He settled for curling up and trying to regain his strength.

"Stop looking like you're about to cry."

"How do you know what I look like? You're still facedown..." He muttered irritable. Understandably irritable. He never wanted to resort to proving himself like that. Of course Ram would never be swayed by words when actions speak louder. "Rem would be disappointed to know I didn't get your blessing. She was so happy to learn that I wanted to tell you; to formally ask for permission and be a proper suitor for her." Was that the feeling of happiness she felt earlier from her sister? Because he didn't want their relationship to be a 'secret?' It made the head maid grimace.

"If you think swaying Ram with pity is going to work, you might want to re-think that. Barusu isn't good at mental battles."

"..." The sullen boy didn't think it was possible to feel any lower.

The girl clicked her tongue bothered by the puppy dog eyes she knew he was currently giving her. "Stop looking pathetic. Also, Ram doesn't need to see you to be able to read you. Sadly I just know you that well."

He didn't bother with a reply and she knew he wouldn't give one. They stayed in in silence, enjoying the now tranquil atmosphere of the partly destroyed woods. It only took a few minutes of peace for the short haired girl to break it with hard words. "Since you lost the battle you have not gained Ram's blessing."

"Ram." He started his tone completely serious to match hers. From the ground she craned her neck up to gaze into his eyes. "I lost today but I will continue to challenge you till I win and gain your approval."

After a few moments of intense staring her eyes closed. A warm smile appeared on her face. "I know, if Ram would have thought you would give up she would never have let you get close to Rem's heart." The reply made a bright smile shone on the black haired boy's face. The oni subconsciously relaxed at his warm smile. The older sister really didn't seem to hate them together.

"I'll win next time." He said confidently his mood picking up slowly. At least he was the type to get over depression fairly quickly.

The head maid arched an eyebrow. "Really? Didn't you think that Ram went down kind of easily?" The peach haired girl looked vaguely insulted but more so amused. "It took more than half of my control to make sure Rem stays oblivious to this. It's much harder to control our synesthesia when my blood gets excited. What you saw was only five maybe ten percent of my power. Well, stay positive I guess it is one of your better points."

"...You love to bring me down, don't you? Do you really think Rem won't notice this? You beat me up pretty badly, you know."

"Rem will be more upset we were playing without her." He groaned at the thought of his physical damage being called something tame like 'playing.' And here he thought that Rem showed him tough love. Ram really was extreme in her affections. And he really did consider this whole fight Ram's loyal love for her twin. "Come on Barusu, we're done here so we need to get back to work."

"Work?" He glanced up and down her body and he sure wasn't in a better state. "Who's going to be able to work now?" She still hadn't moved a finger and then an infuriating thought hit him. "Just out of curiosity... was this whole test perhaps just an elaborated excuse for you to skip the rest of the day's work?"

The corners of Ram's lips turned upwards in a smile like she was proud of herself. "It was an unexpected outcome. Now, if you don't mind, please deposit Ram in Roswaal's loving care for a much needed mana treatment."

He glared and thought about leaving her. Mentally he took back all the nice thoughts he had about her. She had her own agenda after all!

The cursed boy frowned before struggling to his feet to approach her. Roughly he rolled her over on to her back. With a big exhale he lifted her bridal style. It took a few seconds for his balance to steady. Ram was momentarily worried she was going to be dropped on the hard ground. His legs faltered but he was able to walk relatively normally –but also rather slow.

When they returned to the mansion Rem was walking around outside; more than likely she was trying to find them. When her eyes landed on them happiness flashed on her face then worry took over at their dirtied state. "Subaru? Sister? Are you alright?"

"We're fine." The peach haired girl reached out for her twin and Rem responded by grabbing her hand between both of hers. "Barusu agreed to do Ram's work for the rest of the day."

"What?! When did I-"

She refused to make eye contact with either of them. Her voice was a decibel or two quieter when she spoke. "You should help your sister, that's what family does."

"My wha-?" Her words slowly started to sink into his brain. Rem knitted her brows together taking the time to fully understand her words. The younger twin watched for any change in her sister's face. Ram kept her expression unreadable. He sighed it was probably unlikely she had really changed her mind completely. "Right, I'm going to hand her over to Roswaal. Then I'll start polishing the silverware." The younger girl nodded and watched him walk off. Now that horned girl had found them she returned back to the kitchen. Rem would have to get the details later.

Balancing the oni in one arm he knocked on the master's office door. "Come in." His playful tone came from the other side. Ram automatically smiled at his voice and her heart fluttered in her chest seconds later.

"I have something that belongs to you."

Roswaal smiled upon seeing the head maid in the boy's arms. Gently the small girl was placed side-wise on his lap. The older male immediately placed a hand on her head stroking her silky hair. There was genuine happiness on her face. Promptly the butler left the couple alone afraid of what he could see next.

"Did you get the outcome you wanted?" The mage asked once they were alone.

Ram rested her head against his chest enjoying his body warmth. "It went well enough." His fingers brushed up against her scar. Her toes wiggled at the pleasurable flow of mana pouring in to her tired body. She felt the soothing feeling in every overexerted muscle. "All it comes down to is if Rem is happy than Ram is happy." She sighed blissfully. The look of ecstasy remained on the oni's face even after he was done tending to her. "Is this the outcome you wanted?" Ram asked flipping his question.

"It went well enough." He responded with a cheeky smirk. The hornless girl pursed her lips displease with the reply. Honestly she didn't expect a better answer either. Her eyes narrowed at the slight bulge from his chest pocket. It was where his gospel rested close to his heart.

One day she will free him for her happiness.

* * *

A/N: I wanted to write but since I'm stuck on my other fic. Emilia's dialogue with Rem and Subaru is giving me the most problems. I made this as a writing warm up.


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